Perkins Restaurant and Bakery is giving away free short stacks of pancakes Thursday during its annual Give Kids The World Free Pancake Day.

In return, customers will be asked to consider making a donation to the Gingerbread House, which provides free meals to families during their stay at Give Kids The World.

Founded in 1986, Give Kids The World is a nonprofit organization that aims to fulfill wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses. It operates a 70-acre storybook resort in central Florida.

The free pancake event takes place from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Perkins, 12 E.Olive Ave.

For more information, visit www.gktw.org or www.perkinsrestaurants.com. Or, call Perkins at (509) 747-9111.

Pollution Prevention award

The Historic Smoke House Barbecue and Saloon in Wallace buys 100-percent post-consumer content recycled paper products and recycles its fat and grease as well as cardboard, plastic and aluminum generated.

For these reasons, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality recently recognized the eatery as a Pollution Prevention Champion.

Pollution prevention aims to eliminate or lessen the amount of pollutants before they are generated.

To qualify for recognition, recipients submit an application to DEQ showing how they incorporate pollution prevention into their daily operations.

For more information, visit deq.idaho.gov/pollution-prevention.aspx.